Best of the Web – July 2011

Posted on July 31, 2011 by admin

As you know, each month, we round up some of the best Photoshop-related content from around the web. This month, there were some excellent Photoshop tutorials and articles to choose from so please take a moment to review our favorites from July 2011.

Photoshop Tutorials

L.A Noire Neon Style in Photoshop

This tutorial from Abduzeedo demonstrates how to create a cool neon text effect in Photoshop.

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Create Creepy, Branch Based Typography

This tutorial from Psd Fan demonstrates how to create typography using stock imagery of branches.

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Video: Planet Photoshop: Masking with Channels

This video tutorial from Layers Magazine explains how to make complex selections using channels in Photoshop.

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Quick Tips: Instagram your images using Photoshop

Instagram is a popular photo sharing service. This tutorial from Abduzeedo will explain how to apply an Instagram-like effect to your photos.

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Create a Spectacular Fantasy Sea Monster

This tutorial from Pxleyes explains how to create a spectacular fantasy sea monster in Photoshop.

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Create a Nebula Cosmo Lady in Photoshop

This tutorial from Art Junks explains how to create a cosmic photo manipulation in Photoshop.

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Draw A Realistic Classic Pen Using Photoshop

This tutorial from Psdeluxe will explain how to draw a pen in Photoshop.

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Video: Eyedropper + Layer Blending Modes

This tutorial from Ctrl+Paint will explain how to use layer blending modes to create beautiful and surprising effects in your digital paintings.

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Articles and Inspiration

Sci-Fi/Futuristic Digital Works & Resources

This showcase from Noupe features some amazing sci-fi and futuristic digital works and resources.

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Design Inspiration: 35 Photo Manipulations

This round up from Vandelay Design shows us 35 inspiring photo manipulations.

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A Collection of Re-imagined Movie Posters

Ever wondered what your favorite movie posters would look like re-imagined? This showcase from One Extra Pixel shows us a collection of our favorite movie posters re-imagined.

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Things Worth Paying For as a Freelancer

When you’re running your own business it can be tough to decide which expenses are worth the cost and which are not. This article from Six Revisions gives some insight into what is a necessity and which are not.

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40 Lightning Bolt Brushes

Adding lightning to your work can be tough. These brushes from Psd Box make it simple.

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Is Photoshop Destroying America’s Body Image?

Photoshop has been getting a lot of bad press lately. When working with Photoshop it is important to work responsibility. This article on the Huffington Post asks if Photoshop is destroying America’s body image and calls for regulation. Something we should all be concerned with.

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Vintage Star Pattern: Texture Pack

This freebie from Design Instruct includes a collection of nice vintage star patterns.

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45 Creative Typography Print Ads

This showcase from Spyre Studios features 45 creative typography-based print ads.

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Interesting Patterns and Fractals from Nature

Posted on July 29, 2011 by admin

Beautiful patterns surround us. You can see them on trees, clouds, on bodies of water. You can even see them on plants, on animals and on our very skin. The very tips of our fingers prove just that. There is also no doubt that patterns are just as mysterious as they are beautiful. In fact, there are some patterns that are so perfect that they self-replicate. To be technical, some patterns are fractal in nature.

Fractal or not, patterns give us something more to admire and wonder about. For today, let’s see how they come into play in design through this round-up of patterns as seen in nature. After all, what better place is there to find design inspiration?

Cross-Sectioned Shells

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Fossils of Ammonite Shells

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Snow Flakes

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Corals

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Romanesco Brocolli

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Fractures in Ice

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Glacier

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Electrons on the Edge

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Strawberry

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Spiderweb

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Cabbage

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Peacock Feathers

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Kiwi

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Ice Cave Ceiling

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Pink Whirls

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Sandstone Patterns in Cave

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Parrotfish Scales

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Sandbars, Australia

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Giant Lobelia

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Paris Canyon Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona

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Rock Formation

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Coral

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Terraced Hill

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Bois Mang Tree

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Sunflower

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Starfish

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Stargazer

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Corals

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Fern Leaves

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Castor Bean Leaf

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Necklace Sea Star

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Antelope Canyon

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Clouds

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Geranium Bud

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Birds Nest Fungus

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Moss

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Water Droplets

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How to Create Eroded Metal Text With Photoshop

Posted on July 29, 2011 by admin

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create an eroded metal text effect. Throughout this tutorial we’ll make use of various drawing techniques, channels, and patterns. Let’s get started!

Editor’s note: This tutorial was originally published on Psdtuts in September 2009.

Step 1

First we need to define a pattern of dots. Lets start by creating a new document 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels high, with a Resolution set to 300 pixels/inch. Fill the "Background" layer with black. Grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool, set the Style to a Fixed Size and set the Width and Height to 24 pixels. Click anywhere inside the canvas, then click inside the selection, drag and position it in the top-left corner of the canvas.

Fill the selection with white. Drag one vertical and one horizontal guide to the center of the selection. Hold down the Shift key, press Down the Arrow key four times to move the selection down 40 pixels. Fill it with white. Now move the selection 20 pixels up and 20 pixels right, then fill it with white again. Move the selection this time, 20 pixels down and 20 pixels right and fill with white.

Now drag two more guides to the center of the selection as in the image below. Move the selection 40 pixels up and fill with white once again. Now grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool and select the area between the crossing guides as shown below. Go to Edit > Define Pattern and name the pattern "Holes." Now that we have defined our pattern, you can close this document.

Step 2

Now create a new document 1450 pixels wide and 700 pixels high at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. Make sure the Color Mode is set to RGB. Use the Horizontal Type Tool to type your text. I used Arial Black at a size of 116 pt.

Step 3

Now we’ll apply two Layer Styles. First apply a Stroke using these settings: Size set to 10 pixels, Position set to Inside, Blend Mode of Normal, Opacity at 100% and color set to black. Then apply a Pattern Overlay and use the following settings: Blend Mode set to Normal, Opacity at 100%, Pattern set to “Holes,” and scale set at 50%.

Step 4

Make the "Background" layer invisible and create a new layer on top and name it "2 Alpha." Go to Image > Apply Image and check Invert. This will flatten the current visible layers in the selected layer and invert it.

Step 5

Command-click the "2 Alpha" layer to load the selection and hit Command + C to copy. Go to the Channels Palette and create a new Channel. Hit Command + V to paste. Hit Command + D to deselect.

Step 6

Go to the Layers Palette. We don’t need "2 Alpha" layers anymore so delete it. Turn off the visibility of the Pattern Overlay style of the "PSD" layer and set the Text Color to white. The layer is named "PSD" because I typed the text: "PSD". Your text layer is named whatever you typed.

Step 7

Create a new layer on top and again name it "2 Alpha" because this one will be going to an alpha channel. Make sure the "Background" layer is still invisible. Go to Image > Apply Image and uncheck Invert.

Step 8

Now Command-click the "2 Alpha" layer to load the selection and hit Command + C to copy, go to the Channels Palette and create a new channel, then hit Command + V to paste. While you’re in the Channels Palette, Command-click the "Alpha 1" channel to load the selection.

Step 9

Go to the Layers Palette and create a new layer named "Text." Set your Foreground Color to 80% gray by hitting Alt + Backspace, then Deselect.

Step 10

Since we’ll have a dark background in our final image, it’s a good idea to make the background darker now. So fill the "Background" layer with 90% gray. Now we’ll apply two Layer Styles to the "Text" layer. The first one is a Pattern Overlay with these settings: Blend Mode set to Soft Light, Opacity at 100%, Pattern set to “Black Marble,” which is located in the “Rock Patterns” and Scale set at 100%. The second Layer Style is a Drop Shadow with these settings: Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity at 100%, Angle set to 120 degrees, Distance set to 16 pixels, Spread set at 30% and Size set to 15 pixels.

Step 11

Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer and name the duplicate "Paint." Drag the Effects of this layer to the trash in the Layers Palette as shown below.

Step 12

Go to Channels Palette and create a new channel. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Now go to Filter > Render > Difference Clouds. We’ll apply this filter twice more, so Press Command + F twice. Now go to Image > Adjustments > Invert. Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels (Command + L) and set the Input Levels to 200, 1, 255. The white areas in this image is going to be the eroded parts of the paint. Command-Click the channel to load the selection.

Step 13

Go to the "Paint" layer in the Layers Palette and hit Delete to clear the selected area. Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer and name it "Grain." Make the "Grain" layer invisible for now, then Deselect.

Step 14

Go back to the "Paint" layer and apply a Drop Shadow Layer Style with these settings: Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity at 100%, Angle set to 120 degrees, Distance and Spread set to 0, and Size set to 5 pixels. Apply an Inner Glow and use these settings: Blend Mode of Color Burn, Opacity at 35%, and Size set to 1 pixel. Now apply a Gradient Overlay with these settings: Blend Mode set to Overlay, Opacity at 60%, Gradient set to Black and White, Style set to Linear and Angle set to 90 degrees. Set the "Paint" layer Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Step 15

Create a new layer above the "Paint" layer and name it "Color." Grab the Gradient Tool, open the Gradient picker in the Tool Options and pick: Blue, Red, Yellow. Set it to Linear Gradient and fill the layer as shown below. Hold down the Alt key and click the line between the "Paint" and "Color" layers to define the "Paint" layer as a Clipping Mask. Set the "Color" layer Blending Mode to Difference.

Step 16

Go to the "Grain" layer in the Layers Palette and make it visible. Go to Filter > Artistic > Film Grain. Set the Grain to 10, Highlight Area and Intensity to 0, and set the Blending Mode for the layer to Color Dodge.

Step 17

Command-click the "Text" layer to load the selection. Create a new layer on top and name it "Highlight." Grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool and use the Arrow keys to move the selection 1 pixel left and 1 pixel up. Fill the selection with white. Move the selection 1 pixel right and 1 pixel down, back to where it was and hit Delete to clear. Apply an Outer Glow Layer Style to the "Highlight" layer using these settings: Blend Mode of Overlay, Opacity at 100%, and Size set to 2 pixels.

Step 18

Go to the Channels Palette and Command-click "Alpha 2" to load the selection. Go back to the Layers Palette and create a new layer on top. Name it "Highlight 2." Move the selection 2 pixels right and 2 pixels down. Fill the selection with white. Now move the selection 2 pixels left and 2 pixels up and hit Delete to clear. Now deselect.

Step 19

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 1 pixel. This is going to smooth the highlight.

Step 20

Go to the Channels Palette and Command-click "Alpha 2" to load the selection again. Go back to the Layers Palette and create a new layer on top and name it "Shade." Move the selection 2 pixels left and 2 pixels up. Fill the selection with black. Now move the selection 2 pixels right and 2 pixels down and hit Delete to clear.

Step 21

Deselect by hitting Command + D. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 1 pixel.

Step 22

Command-click the "PSD" layer to load the selection. Create a new layer on top and name it "Shade 2." Fill the layer with Black. Move the selection 2 pixels up and 2 pixels left, then hit Delete to clear. Command-click the "PSD" layer again. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 2 pixels.

Step 23

Command-click the "PSD" layer again and load it’s pixels. Create a new layer on top and name it "Highlight 3." Fill the selection with black. Move the selection 2 pixels down and 2 pixels right and hit Delete to clear. Command-click the "PSD" layer and load the selection again, because we don’t want this highlight to be blurred towards the outside. Now go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply with a Radius of 1 pixel. Deselect by hitting Command + D.

Step 24

Create a new layer above the "Background" layer and name it "Texture." Fill the layer with black. Go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare. Set the Brightness at 160% and set the Lens Type to 50-300 mm zoom. Then go to Filter > Render > Difference Clouds. Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate. Apply a Glass filter by going to Filter > Distort > Glass and use these settings: Distortion set to 20, Smoothness set to 2, and Scaling set at 100%. Finally, apply a Gradient Overlay Style to this layer and use these settings: Blend mode of Multiply and Opacity set at 70%.

Step 25

You can achieve different variations of this effect by changing the gradient or color of the "Color" layer and changing the Texture of the Pattern Overlay Layer Style of the "Text" layer.

Conclusion

Yes that’s it! I hope you learned something new and enjoyed this tutorial!

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A Showcase of 50 Black & White Creative Package Designs

Posted on July 28, 2011 by admin

In a world full of colors, how do you stand out?

Black and white. Used separately, the two evoke totally different moods and feelings. Black is often associated with authority, power, and evil, while white is associated with purity and innocence. When used together in a good design though, these polar opposites create full contrast and balance. These black and white designs may be seen in so many ways: minimalist, elegant, classic, sometimes even bold or mysterious.

Brands and companies are constantly in a struggle for customers’ attention. How do you make your company or product stand out when competition is fierce? Most turn to creativity and imagination. We hope we inspire you with 50 creative package designs we’ve come across on the web. These are seen in a myriad of mediums, from wines and perfume bottles to boxes and bags and cartons. Enjoy!

Colier

Sofi Soaps

Illustration and Packaging Design for Laken Bottles

A Teaspoon of Sugar

1300 on Fillmore

Sushi To-Go Box

Henry (Lagarde)

Pause DVD box set

HotelAmbrose Identity / 2011

Scent Stories

Cube Pour Homme

Hugo Boss Platinum

Davidoff Champion

Cowshed

Whilst

Pharmacy Bags

Coffee Time Bag and Cups

Gee Beauty

The Making of EKRINE

MLK

Yo-ho-ho Juice

Basanti

Clarity Water

Piazza D’Oro

Kaffe

Q Tonic

Supperclub Vodka

Creative Creatures

Noir

Ginself

Chopin 200

Schiszler Pálinka

Vodka Packaging

Breuckelen Gin

Karadag Wine

Divine Black Edition

ºN Italian Wine

Sans Containment

Ice Tea Design

Gyawu Product Design

Skullcandy Headphones

400 Costumes to Die For

Satay Batique

Wine 4 Pack

Belle & Ella Pharmacy

Leslie Ortiz

Ryan McSorley

CK One & CK Be Bottle MP3 Players

Jack Daniel’s Ready to Drink

Hartwell

Create a Surreal Advertising Photo Manipulation – Psd Premium Tutorial

Posted on July 28, 2011 by admin

This Psd Premium tutorial by author Mark Mayers will take inspiration from the surrealist art movement and will demonstrate how to blend stock images to create an illustration that could be applied to anything from drinks machines to point-of-sale displays. Observing how light reacts in the real-world is a key factor when combing multiple photographs – all of which have different degrees of light, shadow and color. To pull off this effect, we’ll make extensive use of Adjustment Layers as well as some advanced masking techniques. This tutorial is available exclusively to Premium Members. If you are looking to take your print and t-shirt design skills to the next level then Log in or Join Now to get started!

About the Author

Author Mark Mayers is a talented designer and illustrator from the UK. He has worked as a designer and creative director for several design/advertising agencies and specializes in print, branding, packaging, and exhibition graphics. Mark began his career when the tools of the trade were markers, layout pads, and most importantly, the ability to draw, but he embraced the digital revolution in the early 90′s and swapped his drawing board for a Mac. Today, Mark freelances from his studio in Cornwall for such clients as American Express, BMW, Future Publishing, IDG Communications and Imagine Publishing.

Professional and Detailed Instructions Inside

Premium members can Log in and Download! Otherwise, Join Now! Below are some sample images from this tutorial.

Final Image

Psd Premium Membership

As you know, we run a premium membership system here that costs $9 a month (or $22 for 3 months!) which gives members access to the Source files for tutorials as well as periodic extra tutorials, like this one! You’ll also get access to Net Premium and Vector Premium, too. If you’re a Premium member, you can Log in and Download the Tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can of course Join Today!

Customer Service Lessons Learned from Outsourcing

Posted on July 28, 2011 by admin

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Offering quality customer service is critical to running a design business, and really to any type of service-oriented business. When working with clients on design and development projects it’s easy to see things only from our your own perspective, but being able to look at customer service from the client’s point of view can be very helpful for evaluating and improving your own level of service.

One way to work on changing that perspective is to outsource some of your work. When you outsource you will be in the client’s position, and you’ll likely realize some things that you could do to improve your own level of service. It could be something you like that you could implement with your own clients, or it could be something that frustrates you, leading to a recognition of something that may have a similar impact on your clients.

There are a lot of opportunities and types of work that could be outsourced. It could mean hiring a virtual assistant to help with your finances and organization. It could mean outsourcing PSD to HTML coding to one of the countless companies and designers that offer this type of service. It could mean outsourcing the work to design custom icons for a web design project. The possibilities could go on as you can outsource just about anything.

Since last year’s launch of Vandelay Premier, our premium design resources site, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of designers who have created some of the resources released on the site. Some of these designers are people that I have known for a while, some contacted me to offer their services, some were sought out and approached to work on specific types of resources, and others were hired through project listings on Elance.

Getting this experience outsourcing work to other designers has been very helpful for getting a look at the client process from the perspective of a client, and I think many designers could benefit from a similar experience. If you’re not currently outsourcing any work I recommend that you give it a try if it fits within your workflow, and pay attention to the type of service that you receive and how it impacts your feelings about the project and the person that is doing the work.

From My Experience with Outsourcing

Here we will take a look at some of the lessons that have been reinforced through my experience with outsourcing. This is simply intended to demonstrate the types of things that you can pick up from outsourcing and how it can have an influence on your own client work.

1. Finding the Right Designer is Difficult

There are tons of designers and agencies out there that are looking for work, but finding someone with the right combination of skills, personality, communication, reliability, pricing, and availability can be a challenge. When outsourcing work to someone that you’re not familiar with, there is some leg work involved to determine if it’s the right fit. If it’s a challenge for one designer to find another for an outsourced project, imagine how challenging and intimidating it can be for a client with limited knowledge of the industry to find the right designer.

What this observation has taught me is that anything to simplify the process is helpful for the client. When I’m outsourcing a project I like to see designers that stand out from the crowd. Maybe they stand out because of an exceptional quality of work. Maybe they have an item in their portfolio that is highly relevant to what I am looking for. Maybe they communicate well, respond promptly, and seem like they would be easy to work with. Maybe they seem to have a clear understanding of what I am looking for and they’re eager to work on the project. These types of things help the designer to stand out and they make it an easier decision for me.

The same thing can be the case when I am trying to land work from clients. They are probably unsure of who to hire for their web design project and anything I can do to stand out and make the process easier or more successful for them will help me to be hired.

2. Sticking with the Same Designer is Easier than Finding Someone Else

Some of the designers that I outsource to will work on just one project, but others have become regular contributors to Vandelay Premier. From my perspective as the client the ideal situation is to have reliable designers that do several projects for me. Otherwise I’ll have to spend more time to find the right person for each project.

On-going clients can be extremely valuable for designers, and this experience has helped me to see how this situation is also ideal for clients. Developing a relationship with your clients, providing quality customer service, and doing your best work will lead to more repeat work.

3. Communication is Critical

It’s no secret that communication skills are essential for designers, especially for freelancers. But getting some experience from the client side can help to reinforce this. Poor communication can lead to unhappy clients or to not even getting the job in the first place.

One of the biggest lessons that I can apply to my own work is the value of constant communication. I’ve outsourced some work to designers who send a brief email every day or two just to update me on the status of the project, and I’ve worked with other designers who have no communication for weeks at a time. The consistent communication helps me to know that the project is moving forward and shows that the designer is in control of the project. With no communication the same thing could be true, but as a client it usually leads to the assumption that nothing is being done. This has reminded me that it’s important to update clients frequently to show that things are under control and so they do not feel left out in the dark.

4. The Relationship is Key

Each designer that I have outsourced to is different. In several cases I’ve had a previous relationship with the designer or been able to develop a relationship by working on several projects over a period of time. Working with these designers is completely different than working with someone for the first time.

For those designers that I have developed a relationship with, I know I can trust them and I know their quality of work. In these situations things are usually a little more laid back because of that existing relationship.

The same situation can apply when working with my own clients. This experience has helped me to recognize the need to develop strong relationships with clients to make the process easier and less stressful for them.

5. Clarity is Appreciated

When I am looking at outsourcing work to a designer or trying to evaluate how much I am willing to spend for a particular resource it’s helpful to have a clear understanding of what I will be getting. Some designers are very good at providing clear details of the specific resources that will be provided, when they will be completed, how much it will cost, and anything else that is relevant to the project.

Other times I get very vague proposals from designers and it’s difficult to know exactly what I will be getting and what it will cost. When things are clear it makes my job easier and enables me to make quicker decisions, something that is certainly appreciated.

The same thing can be applied when I am making proposals to potential clients. The experience has helped me to have a better understanding of the types of concerns that clients might have, and how they can be resolved with improved clarity and communication.

What’s Your Experience?

Have you outsourced work? If so, what types of lessons did you learn?

For more content on business and freelancing please see:

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50 Cool Moleskine Art Samples That’ll Fuel Your Creativity

Posted on July 27, 2011 by admin

Why doodles look better on moleskines, we might never, really know. What we do know is that this particular notebook has fueled, if not revived, many artists’ love for traditional sketching. Even artists who have long practiced digital arts seem to be enamored.

Looking into some of the most creative sketches online, we’ve discovered how great they truly are! Imagine such works on your website, on posters, on business cards, on basically anything. They come in all shapes and sizes. Ask an artist and they might even list art media that they love to use with their moleskines: some may tell you that they love ball-point pens or fountain pens, some may tell you that they prefer watercolors and some may even tell you that they fancy doing mixed-media.

Whichever way, if you add these media with moleskines and talent, we’re pretty sure one will never go wrong. For today, you can feast your eyes on some of today’s finest moleskine illustrations. Get inspiration and feel free to share links of similar artworks you’ve discovered or have made yourself on the comments below.

More Than Skin Paper Deep: Moleskine Artworks That Wow

Moleskine Artwork by Irina Vinnik
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Moleskine Artwork by Mattias Adolfsson
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Moleskine Artwork by Kristopher Garcia
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Moleskine Artwork by scumbugg
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Moleskine Artwork by Iphigen
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Moleskin Artwork by Novac
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Moleskine Artwork by Ines Gamler
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Moleskine Artwork by Jim Woodring
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Moleskine Artwork by Ink and Clay
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Moleskine Artwork by Ae-J
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Moleskine Artwork by Hugh Macleod
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Moleskine Artwork by Michael Murdock
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Moleskine Artwork by Nacho Yagüe
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Moleskine Artwork by Sushi Bird
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Moleskine Artwork by Andrew Ushnurtsev
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Moleskine Artwork by AlexanderBrox0101
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Moleskine Artwork by Allison Reimond
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Moleskine Artwork by Logoliebe
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Moleskine Artwork by samesjc
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Moleskine Artwork by javierGpacheco
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Moleskine Artwork by tuuliky
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Moleskine Artwork by Laura Serra
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Moleskine Artwork by Alexandre Soma
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Moleskine Artwork by Alena Havorkova
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Moleskine Artwork by wmwrose
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Moleskine Artwork by David Roger Rorimpandey
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Moleskine Artwork by Don Megah
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Moleskine Artwork by Michael Murdock
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Moleskine Artwork by Anna Rusakova
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Moleskine Artwork by Mattias Adolfsson
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Moleskine Artwork by rodrigoluff
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Moleskine Artwork by Fabio Iaschi
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Moleskine Artwork by Allen Sutton
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Moleskine Artwork by Dan
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Moleskine Artwork by Rod Luff
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The Brush Panel and Using a Tablet

Posted on July 27, 2011 by admin

Photoshop is an excellent tool for manipulating photographs but it can also be used as a means to create stunning digital art. This tutorial is part of a 25-part video tutorial series demonstrating everything you will need to know to start producing digital art in Photoshop. Digital Art for Beginners, by Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor, Martin Perhiniak will begin by teaching you how to draw in Photoshop. At the conclusion of this series you will know all you need to produce your own concept art and matte paintings in Photoshop.

Today’s tutorial Part 2: The Brush Panel and Using a Tablet will explain the most important options in the brush palette, explain the differences between a mouse and tablet for digital art, and will also explain the differences between the Wacom line of tablets and which ones are right for you. Let’s get started!

Branding Iron Text Effect

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

In this easy Photoshop tutorial you’ll learn how to design a very cool-looking branding iron effect, using the type tool, a few shapes, and a fair few layer style effects.

Final Image Preview

This is the outcome from the tutorial:

Branding Iron Text Effect

Note: This is one very old PhotoshopStar tutorial created by Eli that was updated as i was receiving a lot of requests about it.

Resources

Step 1

Start by creating a new document in Photoshop. Any size will do, but for this tutorial the size is 600 x 300 pixels, with the default resolution of 72. After this, you might want to choose a nice background for your canvas. The texture used here is Wood texture I by ResurgidaResources. Resize the texture till it fits in your document.

Branding Iron Text Effect 1

Step 2

Get the Horizontal Type Tool out and write your desired text, preferably something short, if you can. The font used is called Impact, and the size is 200 pt. Also, you can feel free to use any color you want for the text at this stage.

Branding Iron Text Effect 2

Next, the border for your shape. Find and get out the Rounded Rectangle Tool, then set up your settings as similar to the ones shown below as you can/want:

Branding Iron Text Effect 3

Now you’ve got your tool and settings set up, create a new layer (underneath your text layer), then draw a shape the suitable size, a just so it hangs around the outside of your text.

Branding Iron Text Effect 4

Next, change the Fill value for this layer to 0%.

Branding Iron Text Effect 5

Then apply a Stroke layer style.

Branding Iron Text Effect 6

Now your shape should look like this:

Branding Iron Text Effect 7

Finish off this step by merging your two layers together (the text and shape layers), so the whole shape is on one single layer. You can do this by selecting both layers, then going to Layer -> Merge Layers.

Branding Iron Text Effect 8

Step 3

The shape still needs a few more changes before we finalize it. Start by filling your shape with a red color, do this by clicking the little icon near the top of your layer’s palette that ‘locks the transparent pixels.

Branding Iron Text Effect 9

After you’ve locked the transparent pixels, fill your shape with a red color, the color used here is #ac2009.

Branding Iron Text Effect 10

Finish off this step by rotating and maybe resizing your shape slightly. Press Ctrl + T to go into the Transform Mode, and hit Enter when you’re done to get out of it.

Branding Iron Text Effect 11

Step 4

Now we’re finished with the shape, let’s add some effects. Right-click your layer in the layer’s palette and go to the Blending Options. Click and apply the following layer styles/settings:

- Inner Shadow: Change the Blend Mode to Soft Light, the Opacity to 40%, the Distance to 3, and the Size to 2.

Branding Iron Text Effect 12

- Inner Glow: Change the Blend Mode to Overlay, the Choke to 10, and the Size to 6.

Branding Iron Text Effect 13

- Satin: Change the Blend Mode to Overlay.

Branding Iron Text Effect 14

- Gradient Overlay: Change the Blend Mode to Overlay, the Opacity to 40%, check the Reverse box, and set the Style to Reflected.

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- Pattern Overlay: Change the Blend Mode to Overlay, the Opacity to 40%, and set the Pattern to Rusted Metal.

Branding Iron Text Effect 16

Now your shape should look pretty much like this:

Branding Iron Text Effect 17

Step 5

Looking good so far! This step is optional, in which we’ll erase away a bit of the shape to give a bit more of an interesting effect. Start by creating a new layer, then merging your shape and blank layer together, this is basically applying the layer styles to the pixels, so they’re not really there anymore.

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After doing this, get out your eraser tool and select a grungy brush. Erase away a bit of your shape like so.

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Step 5

When you’re pretty much all finished with your shape, go into the Transform Mode (Ctrl + T), and size your shape down to about 60.0% of it’s original size. This is what the shape should look like:

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You can as well go ahead and create a new layer right beneath the Shape layer, then, create a Radial Gradient the goes from Transparent at the center of the document to Black at the corners, and change the layer’s Blend Mode to Soft Light.

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Finally, you can add some Black grungy strokes as shown below:

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Final Image

And now we’re pretty much finished with this tutorial, I hope it was sufficient for you all! I also hope you enjoyed this tutorial, I know I did!

Branding Iron Text Effect

42 High Quality Free Fonts For Graphic Designers

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

Typefaces are like clothes. They either make us look good or bad. They also indicate what kind of character we want to portray. Using the proper font can also be compared to a person who knows how to dress up to the occasion. However, to be able to impress people it is also necessary that the clothes we wear or, in this case, the typeface we use are of high quality.

Today, we have collected some amazing high-quality free fonts to spice up your designs. We hope you find one to suit your design needs. Enjoy downloading these fonts!